Construction to start on Hawaiian monk seal hospital on Hawaii island

The animals often become entangled in abandoned fishing nets or accidentally caught on fishing hooks. As pups, they sometimes have a hard time competing with sharks and large jacks, or ulua, for food.

It’s all putting the species numbering less than 1,100 animals on course to disappear within 100 years.

This weekend, however, a California nonprofit organization is bringing good news. On Saturday, it will break ground on a $3.2 million emergency room and hospital for the seals on the Big Island.

The Marine Mammal Center expects the facility, complete with pools, to be ready to accept injured and sick seals in the spring. The hospital is being built next to Kona Airport for easy access for planes to fly in seals from other islands.

The facility will be able to accommodate as many as 10 seals at a time but likely will have fewer patients. Still, it’s expected to be a critical help for the struggling species.